1. Field of Use
The present invention relates to apparatus used in the packaging of electronic equipment and more particularly to apparatus for packaging the different devices which comprise a computer system.
2. Prior Art
As the use of data processing systems continues to grow, there is an increasing need to provide added flexibility in expanding and configuring parts of such systems and in their connectability. This has resulted in data processing systems being constructed in a modular fashion, with removable side panels for joining together several modular units to provide a particular configuration. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,691,432 which is assigned to the same assignee as named herein.
As computers become a part of today's office and business workplace, it becomes more important to be able to integrate computers within such environment. Thus, computers and their modular units have been sized to become more and more compatible with other units normally found in the workplace, such as office furniture. However, the reduction in the heights of such units has made it more difficult to provide adequate cooling and manage internal and external cabling within these computer systems. The problem of cable management is further complicated when cabling is carried out using standard length cables to reduce manufacturing costs.
Generally, prior art computer systems have connected internal and external cables to bulkheads at the back of the computer modular units. However, the number of devices packaged in these modular units were relatively small. Thus, there was sufficient airflow and that the amount of internal cabling was also small. In order to access the devices within such units, it was necessary to provide adequate space between the units and the walls of the workspace areas. In certain instances, this space was used for storing the excess cabling of externally connected standard length cables.
The related copending patent application titled, "Electronic Equipment Housing", Ser. No. 06/868,408, filed on May 29, 1986, by Richard R. Dillon, et al., provides an arrangement which facilitates cable management and enables the devices of a computer system to be packaged in cabinets having a height dimension which is compatible with the generally low profiled office furniture. The arrangement provides for packaging commonly shared equipment such as input/output interfaces and disk drive devices into one cabinet and the processor printed cicuit cards and memory boards into another cabinet.
The common equipment cabinet also includes a bulkhead having a plurality of swing-out sections for mounting on connectors to interconnect external and internal standard length cables. The bulkhead is located within the common equipment cabinet which is at one end of the row of cabinets comprising the particular computer configuration. The cabinets, each include internally mounted front and rear raceways for retaining standard length internal cables which have their ends connected to the connectors of the bulkhead and to printed circuit card connectors.
While the above arrangement provides ease of access to the computer devices and cards housed within the cabinets, it requires that the processor and memory boards be packaged within separate cabinets and that the shared equipment and bulkhead be included within a second cabinet.
In many instances, it is desirable to provide a computer configuration which is more compact and can be packaged within a single cabinet. Also, it is desirable to have the cabinet or enclosure conform to and still be compatible with the low profile of the workspace furniture. Moreover, it becomes desirable to provide an enclosure which has a small or narrow width profile. It has been found that the packaging and cable bulkhead arrangement of the above copending patent application does not allow further compacting of computer devices without introducing cooling problems.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a compact packaging arrangement that allows the fitting of the electronic equipment of a computer into a single small profile cabinet.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide compact packaging within a cabinet so that the dimensions are compatible with the enclosures for packaging electronic equipment of larger computer configurations.